Voc-Tech troupe to offer a classic: 'Pygmalion'

Thursday

Dec 13, 2012 at 12:01 AM

You'll recognize the delightful story line of "Pygmalion" — a less-frequently performed stage treatment — from its more famous musical adaptation, "My Fair Lady." This show is equally heart-warming, yet it presents an acting challenge for younger performers.

Lorraine Lucciola

You'll recognize the delightful story line of "Pygmalion" — a less-frequently performed stage treatment — from its more famous musical adaptation, "My Fair Lady." This show is equally heart-warming, yet it presents an acting challenge for younger performers.

This weekend, the Voc-Tech Theatre Company "raises the bar," according to director Gerald Morrissey, in presenting a "classical piece that is both popular and fun for the cast to rehearse and perform."

"From a more physical side, I wanted a play that we could comfortably mount on our small stage so that the story line could easily flow from scene to scene without any unnaturally long intervals," he says, "and 'Pygmalion' fit the ticket."

"Pygmalion" takes its name from Ovid's "Metamorphoses, X", in which Pygmalion, a sculptor, falls in love with a statue he carved. In George Bernard Shaw's script, Professor Henry Higgins develops affection for Eliza, a scruffy Cockney flower girl, whom he trains in speech and manners to pass in English society as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party. She is, in effect, his artistic creation.

Transforming Eliza looms as a daunting task for the dapper professor of phonetics who makes a bet with Colonel Pickering, a colleague and linguist, that he can teach Eliza how to be a genteel English lady with impeccable speech.

"The role of Professor Henry Higgins is a great one," says Joshua Boucher, who plays the part. "Throughout the play as he is teaching Eliza, in a way Eliza is teaching him as well. Eliza brings out the best in him "¦ and also the worst."

Christopher McIntyre is Colonel Pickering, whom he describes as "a military type, but very much an English gentleman" whose specialty is the study of speech and dialects. "He is a very caring man, gentle and articulate "¦ and treats Eliza with respect and is supportive of her wanting to better herself. Many times, he acts as the voice of reason."

As rehearsals for this production progressed, co-directors Gerald and Marianne Morrissey and their cast often explored the question, "What makes us what we are?"

"We have had some great spirited discussions on the notion that 'There's so much more to us than what's on the surface'," notes Gerry Morrissey. "Can Professor Henry Higgins really transform Eliza Doolittle into something she really isn't by giving her a veneer of gentility? That very insightful slogan, 'You can't judge a book by its cover,' appears to have so much validity to it."

"Discussions such as these not only help our players in building their characters, but are also tantamount to bringing life and breath to their stage personalities. This kind of 'intellectual stimulation' actually helps to make the arduous and painstaking task of rehearsing interesting and fun," he says.

Jacob Girard plays Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father, "who brings a strong comic element to the play," says the young actor. "Doolittle advances the story line by adding a complication," explains Jacob, "by threatening to take Eliza away before Higgins and Pickering can start her training. His real intentions are to get some money out of Professor Higgins."

Brooke Araujo plays Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, the model of British high society Higgins has chosen for Eliza to emulate. "She is an older woman who is quite wealthy and proper," says Brooke. "In one of the most important scenes of the play, Eliza is to demonstrate all she has been taught about being a lady "¦ and they are baffled that a 'real' lady would say such appalling things," says Brooke. Unfortunately, Eliza is still very much a work in progress at this juncture.

Sydnee Carney plays Higgins' housekeeper, Mrs. Pearce. "My character is 'the mother figure' of the house," says Sydnee, "who constantly reminds Higgins that Eliza is a person, not just an experiment."

Don't miss this family show, suitable for all ages. Eliza's transformation — and the skillful action on stage — will surely impress.

The Voc-Tech Theatre Company, 1121 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford, presents "Pygmalion" at 7 this evening through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for senior citizens and $6 for students. All seating is reserved. Call the box office at (508) 998-3321, ext. 424.